After finishing our rounds at Chronoa-san’s and Life-san’s temples, it was only natural that our next stop was Fate-san’s. When we arrived, she greeted us with a smile, perched atop her usual cushion as always.
"Welcome, Kai-chan!"
"Hello, Fate-san. Sorry for dropping in so suddenly."
"No, no. Kai-chan is always welcome... but it’s rare to see you coming along with Kuro-rin too."
"I'm coming in, Fate-chan."
"...Kuro-rin? Wait, Fate-san, did you always call Kuro by that name?"
If I recalled correctly, Fate-san had always referred to Kuro as the Underworld King. When I asked, Fate-san offered an explanation with a playful grin.
"Oh, you know how I started calling the Death King 'Ai-chan' back when we went to the beach? I felt bad leaving the Underworld King out, so I decided to change it up and call her 'Kuro-rin' too. Besides, we’re both Kai-chan’s lovers, so I want us to get along!"
"That’s right. It’s the first time anyone has ever given me a nickname like that, so it feels quite fresh. Ehehe, I'm Kuro-rin! Just kidding."
Kuro looked incredibly adorable as she struck a pose with a childish smile, pressing her index finger against her cheek. Since Kuro was generally good at matching the energy of those around her, she and Fate-san actually seemed quite compatible.
The Fate-san from the beginning, who appeared to have no interest in others, was nowhere to be found. She was now perhaps the most friendly of all, actively seeking to bond with the other lovers. I truly felt her growth—or perhaps, her transformation.
"...So, given that Kuro-rin is here too, did you have some business with me?"
"Yeah, about that. Right now, I'm making the rounds with Kaito-kun to ask for opinions and explore new possibilities for baby castellas."
"I see, I see... Eh? Following the flow of this conversation, does that mean you’re here to ask me too?"
"Yep. So, Fate-chan, do you have any good ideas?"
Fate-san’s expression clouded with obvious bewilderment at Kuro's question. I wondered if Fate-san had ever even eaten a baby castella. Come to think of it, many of the mutual acquaintances Kuro and I shared seemed like the type who had never actually tried one.
After looking thoughtful for a moment, Fate-san nodded with a solemn expression.
"...I see. Since this is a request from Kai-chan and Kuro-rin, I want to help if I can. That’s why I’ll give it my all and answer... 'through Shaltan in my stead'!"
"I see. In that case, Shaltier, if you please."
"Wait just a minute! Why are you turning this into such a ridiculous conversation!?"
With a dignified face, Fate-san dumped the entire responsibility onto Alice with refreshing bluntness, and Kuro went right along with it. Naturally, Alice—who was about to give her fourth answer of the day—wasn't going to take it lying down.
Materializing on the spot, Alice approached Fate-san in a panic.
"Listen here, Fate-san might not know this, but I have already answered this topic that I have absolutely zero interest in three times today. I’m begging you, please, don't throw it to me."
"Is that so? Shaltan, you've had it rough. But I want you to understand that I don’t have any ill will. I just think this is for the best... Look, I’m a Supreme God. Even though my horizons have broadened thanks to Kai-chan, I’ve lived within a very narrow set of values until now. It would be difficult for someone like me to give an answer that Kuro-rin would find satisfying... However, I truly want to help Kuro-rin and Kai-chan since they relied on me. I only said this after much consideration."
"...Fate-san."
"...Also, it’s simply because thinking is a pain in the ass."
"I knew that was the main reason!"
"No, it's not the only reason... The 'it's a pain' part is only about ninety-nine point nine percent of it."
"You might as well just say it's the whole thing!"
For a split second, I thought we were getting a heartwarming story, but this was the ever-reliable Fate-san, and her true motivation was simply her own laziness. Even if she had changed in many ways, Fate-san was still Fate-san.
"And so, Kuro-rin, Shaltan is going to give us an incredibly amazing answer."
"Got it! Then, Shaltier, let's hear that incredibly amazing answer."
"...Heh... Hehehe, hahahaha... Is that so? If that’s how you’re going to play it, I have an idea of my own."
"...Wait, on second thought, maybe I should just answer it myself..."
"...A-Ah, maybe I took the joke a bit too far... For now, Shaltier... I'd really appreciate it if you put away that dagger overflowing with terrifying magic power..."
It might have been my imagination, but I thought I heard the sound of something snapping. Seeing the dagger Alice had pulled out of thin air, Kuro and Fate-san turned pale.
"Authority Activation. Limited Loan Application... Code: Tartarus."
"...Ah, I can't move... I’ve been restrained along the spatial axis. Fate-chan, something bad is definitely coming, right?"
"It feels like... something Almighty Class is about to arrive... Shaltan has quite a hidden ace up her sleeve..."
"This presence... I remember it from the previous God Realm Decisive Battle... Between this and Magnawell's split body... Shaltier, are you actually close with the Earth God?"
"Hmm, I can't imagine that monster god being friendly with anyone outside her own world... but this is Shaltan; maybe she managed to pull it off somehow."
Something incredible was happening, yet the conversation between Kuro and Fate-san remained strangely relaxed.
Well, Alice and Fate-san were best friends, and she was on good terms with Kuro too, so I suppose they were just playing around in their own way. Alice had a wicked... or rather, mischievous smile on her face. Let's just say they were so close they could afford to bicker like this.
Immediately after, the three of them vanished into subspace or somewhere similar. Left all alone, I could only wonder what I should do next.
Serious-senpai: "...Wait, what? That dagger can summon the Almighty Iron Balls?"
Machina: "Yeah. I had a bunch of spares lying around, so I included them as a set!"
Serious-senpai: "You're handing out Almighty-class weapons like they're bonus fries..."